BJP leader and senior Gujarat minister Jayantibhai Kavadiya on Wednesday said he is not keen on contesting the forthcoming Assembly polls in the state as he wants to work on strengthening the party.

Kavadiya (56), who is the Minister of State for Panchayat and Rural Development in the BJP government in Ahmedabad, claimed that he has already conveyed his wish to the party leadership. “Around two and half years back, I had conveyed this to the then state BJP president and other general secretaries. Recently, I have once again told them that I am not willing to contest the upcoming Assembly polls, as I am more interested to work for the party organisation,” Kavadiya told reporters in Gandhinagar on Wednesday.

Kavadiya, who represents Dhrangadhra assembly segment in Surendranagar district, is also a popular Patel community leader of that region. He said the party is more important as power always emerges from a strong organisation. “I visited almost every taluka of Gujarat after Narendra Modi, when he was the state chief minister, gave me a responsibility in the party between 2007 and 2012. I strongly believe that only a strong organisation leads us to power,” the minister said.

Earlier in April, veteran BJP leader and sitting MLA from Surat, Narottam Patel, had announced that he will not contest the Assembly polls to make way for younger people.